the storyteller

Saturday, May 26, 2007

See you in about 20 days, inshaallah!

If all goes as planned, approximately nine hours from now, we would have left for Ipoh. With a smile on our face, and hope in our heart.

To those of you who have been supportive, I love you. I really do. You are God-sent, and you give me strength. To those who have not, well, I'll try to love you anyway. Because you make me cling to God even more tightly, and you make me want to try even harder.

Friday, May 25, 2007

"Muallaf". Some of the places we'll be shooting in.

The Majestic Hotel at Ipoh Railway Station, St. John's Church, and the State Mosque. These are just some of the places in and around which we'll be shooting the story of "Muallaf".

Incidentally, all the cast and crew will also be staying at the very old and exceedingly charming Majestic Hotel which, as you can see in the picture above, offers sprawling verandahs. Below, on the other hand, is a picture of the rustic but impeccable preserved St.John's church.The production heads, the set design / art direction department, the main cast and I will be heading for Ipoh first thing tomorrow morning.The plan is, six days of on-location rehearsal, with principal shooting beginning on Saturday, the 2nd of June. With God's blessing, and your kind prayers, we should wrap by the 14th or 15th of June, inshaallah.

"Muallaf". Between Rohani and Audrey.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

The main cast of "Muallaf".

We've had three rehearsals so far. We're all terribly nervous, but bloody excited! And so far, as we keep rehearsing and adjusting the dialogue, chucking out some scenes and adding new ones, the story just keeps getting stronger. Alhamdulillah, rabbana walakal hamdu.Apart from Brian, going clockwise starting from top left, we have Tony Savarimutu who will play a Catholic priest called Brother Anthony, Sharifah Aleysha playing Ana, Sharifah Amani playing Ani, Hazel Fernandez playing Mrs Siva, and finally, my nephew Haris Zakaria playing Brian as a little boy.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

"Muallaf". A synopsis.

20-year old Rohani and her 14-year old sister Rohana are two Malay girls on the run from their wealthy, abusive father.

Finding refuge in a smaller town, their secret little world collideswith that of Robert Ng, a 30-year old Catholic school teacher.

The young man finds himself irresistibly drawn towards the sisters, and the extraordinary courage with which they face adversity, in a relationship that inevitably forces Robert to confront a haunting memory of his own troubled childhood.

In this story of lost souls who find comfort in each other, friendship opens the window to forgiveness and a reconciliation with the past.

About Me

I am optimistic and sentimental to the point of being annoying, especially to people who think that being cynical and cold is cool. Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh, and the ability to eat and drink.